In a fitting tribute to the Ford Mustang’s 50th anniversary, the Blue Oval is repeating history by placing a new 2015 Mustang Convertible GT 5.0 at the top of the Empire State Building, some 1,000 feet (about 305 meters) above the streets of Manhattan – just like it did with the original pony car back in 1965.
This will be only the second time ever that a car will go on display on open-air observation deck on the 86th floor in the Empire State Building’s 83-year history – and it’s no easy feat, if you take into consideration that the elevators are just 36 inches wide and that the crew will only have a six-hour window to complete the transfer.
As in 1965, Ford collaborated with Michigan-based DST Industries for the 2014 project that saw the Mustang chopped down into six main pieces.
“This week, the band is getting back together as Ford and DST bring the all-new Mustang to the Empire State Building to honor 50 years on sale,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer.
“The observation deck is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., leaving our crew of six with only a six-hour window to get everything out onto the deck and get the car assembled,” said Pericak. “Before we shipped the crates to New York, the crew spent several days practicing the entire assembly process – timing everything down to the minute – much like a NASCAR or Formula One pit crew.”
If you want to see the car in the flesh, the Triple Yellow 2015 Mustang convertible will be on display for visitors at the Empire State Building observation deck for two days, on April 16 and 17.
By John Halas
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